'She needs 24-hour care': Susan Boyle's family speak out about safety fears for Britain's Got Talent star

By Ben Todd

Cheery: Susan Boyle was all smiles as she left her home in Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland yesterday. But her family and friends are concerned about her emotional state


Susan Boyle needs round-the-clock supervision and care, her family have said.

The pressures of fame have left the vulnerable singer stressed and feeling isolated, they say.

Her brother John, 59, has given a blunt assessment of her emotional state, saying: 'She needs 24-hour care. She needs to be looked after.'

In the same interview with U.S. magazine People, her brother Gerry said: ' The travelling and the whole [fame] thing is exhausting. She still has her anxieties and her loneliness.'

Miss Boyle, 48, lived with her mother until she died in 2007.

Since her rise to fame on Britain's Got Talent last April, she has been incredibly busy and is surrounded by a team of managers and security.


No pictures, please: Susan holds up her hands as she comes face to face with the waiting paparazzi


Easy does it: Susan navigates her way across the icy pavement


But she also makes late-night telephone calls to - and on occasion visits - her close family and friends when she is feeling lonely at night.

One close friend, Lorraine Campbell, told People: 'She knows she can come up to me anytime. If she's upset, she'll stay the night.

'Security bring her up to my house. I take her home in the morning. Susan stayed with me a week ago. Night-time is a lonely time for her.'


Interrupted: Susan answers the door to a delivery man earlier this week while eating her lunch and then waves to the cameras


In an earlier interview, Gerry, 55, revealed that his sister is desperate to find love.

He said: 'Of course, her family will always be there for her but it is not the same as having someone special in your life.'

Miss Boyle has suffered a series of health problems since emerging into the spotlight.

After the final of Britain's Got Talent she went into the Priory clinic suffering exhaustion.

After four days she moved for a brief period into a rented flat in Radlett, Hertfordshire and was put under the care of doctor Sarah Lotzof.

Last month, she threw a tantrum in a British Airways VIP lounge shouting obscenities and trying to polish a passenger's shoes with a mop.

Days earlier, she had also been abusive in her local cafe. And last week she collapsed at Heathrow Airport.

Nevertheless, her career goes from strength to strength.

Her debut album I Dreamed A Dream was the biggest selling album in the world in 2009. And she is set to earn at least £5million from record sales.

Her record company Sony last night refused to comment, with a source saying: 'This is something between Susan's family and her management.'


source: dailymail